While many of those who achieve higher education will be repaying student debt for years, students in Denmark are able to study for free and they are even paid to pursue their education. Students can earn up to $1,000 a month while they learn, allowing them to study for longer without financial stress.
Denmark is among the few countries that offer free education, alongside Norway, Finland, and Scotland. What sets Denmark apart, however, is its strong appeal to students who need financial support while studying full-time. Still, some Danes, especially older generations, worry that too much financial freedom can lead young people to delay joining the work force. A growing concern is the rise of “evighedsstuderende” or “eternity students,” a term given to those who stay in university for six years or more.
Although studying in Denmark comes with significant benefits, it’s funded by some of the highest taxes in the world, with top earners paying up to 55.9%. It’s also worth noting that despite the high taxes, Denmark consistently ranks at the top of The World Happiness Report. Finland and Denmark often battle it out for the #1 and #2 spots in this data-driven report that ranks 140 countries according to six areas of life satisfaction—income, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom, trust, and generosity. (Finland is also another Nordic country that offers free tuition.)
Ultimately, many Danes view the high tax rates as a fair trade-off for a strong social safety net. Plus, free education means young people of all backgrounds get a fair shot at pursuing their goals. “Here we get the opportunity for everyone to go to school,” one Danish student said in an interview. “I just think it’s so important to give equal rights to everyone.”
Students in Denmark get to study for free, and they even get paid around $1,000 per month to pursue their education.
Sources: Denmark’s free education policy has created ‘eternity students’ who never graduate; How Students In Denmark Get Paid To Go To University; Why Finland And Denmark Are Happier Than The U.S.
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